Bai Zi Hao also chimed in, "If the young lady just gives him that intelligence and lets him eliminate the Spring Revival Cult's strongholds in the northern regions, and then makes him remain vigilant, it will absolutely be a great contribution!"
Zuo Jing trembled slightly and mumbled, "Stop talking. I don't deserve him. He's also more cautious than you imagine, not someone who can be easily tricked..."
"Miss is so beautiful, she deserves him!" everyone chimed in.
Zuo Jing shook her head, "What's the use of having some looks? He already has a multitude of wives and concubines, he doesn't lack one more."
"Miss is skilled in the methods of the Cloud Sky Guards, she can train such troops for him!" The usually taciturn Di Zi Hao, a Cloud Sky Guard, couldn't help but remind her.
Zuo Jing lowered her head, even more dejected. "My uncle is here, he doesn't need me. My father won't agree to this marriage, and I won't betray my father. Unless... unless he goes to Da Liang to persuade my father, which is impossible. I don't want him to come to Da Liang, it's too dangerous!"
Everyone fell silent.
It wasn't that they wanted to drive their leader away, but they truly couldn't bear to see her suffer so much.
What sustained her as a Cloud Sky Guard, besides her father Zuo Wu Ji's encouragement, was a burning hatred. For its sake, she could suppress her emotions.
Her mother's death had once made her hate the Da Gan imperial family to the core. It was only later, upon learning the truth, that this hatred shifted to the Gongyang clan, the Spring Revival Cult, the barbarians, and the Southern King.
Now, the suppressed emotions had been awakened by a man who could care for her...
After a long while, Zuo Jing raised her head and snorted, "I won't bother him now. When his war ends, I, this old lady, will definitely have a fight with him. If I win, I can leave freely. If I lose... he, he won't make things difficult for this old lady, right?"
News of victory from Yan Prefecture, after an urgent dispatch covering eight hundred li, was sent to Yun Prefecture and the capital.
Lu Yi, who was defending Yun Prefecture, was so startled upon hearing the news that he jumped up from his seat, "Ten... seventeen thousand?! Are you sure you're not fooling me, Great Marshal?"
According to Liang Xiao's account, the troops led by the Left Worthy King that attacked Yan Prefecture should have been around eighteen to twenty thousand.
Could the Yan Prefecture defenders, primarily infantry, have beheaded seventeen thousand primarily cavalry barbarians? Was it possible?
"It's seventeen thousand beheaded! The Deputy Marshal is already sending people to count the barbarian heads to award merits to the soldiers!" the messenger said excitedly and with certainty.
The generals looked at each other, then rejoiced!
After reading the detailed battle report from the messenger, Lu Yi laughed to the sky, "It seems Yun Prefecture can be taken without a fight. The Left Worthy King of the barbarians has been routed, so the Right Worthy King, upon receiving this news, will surely lead his troops to flee back to Helan Mountain. We will hold Yun Prefecture tightly and dispatch thirty thousand troops to Shuofang for reinforcement, to guard against any unforeseen events!"
Now, as long as Shuofang was stable, Da Gan would have achieved a great victory and would be as firm as a mountain.
"Uh, Commander, the Deputy Marshal's intention is that we should prepare well and wait for him to bring his troops to rendezvous, capture Helan Mountain, and water our horses in the vast sea!" the messenger's voice trembled.
After the messenger finished speaking, the military tent, which had been bustling with excitement for an eternity, became strangely quiet.
After a long pause, the generals all stood up, their faces filled with emotion, "Commander! When we march on Helan Mountain, we are willing to be the vanguard!"
Lu Yi quickly asked everyone to sit back down and comforted them, "Wait for Liang Xiao's news. Even if he wants to bring troops to reinforce, he has to travel, doesn't he? Before that, we must not let Yun Prefecture and Shuofang fall, otherwise, we can only commit suicide to atone for our sins."
"As for watering our horses in the vast sea," Lu Yi said, looking towards the entrance of the tent to the north, his gaze intense, "Believe this commander, believe Liang Xiao, there is hope! It should be spring by then, right? This is an unprecedented feat of merit..."
The generals were filled with anticipation!
Since ancient times, the desert environment has been harsh. To march into the desert and face the barbarian cavalry was as difficult as ascending to heaven.
Both the founding emperor of the Da Heng Kingdom and the Emperor Gao Zu of Da Gan personally led expeditions, with the King of Dong Hai and the Marquis of Ding Guo assisting, yet achieved little. Facing the harsh weather of the vast desert, they could only return without success.
But now, it was different!
This battle had beheaded seventeen thousand barbarian cavalry, not a simple repulse. It was enough to make the barbarians tremble!
Most of them had never met Liang Xiao before, yet at this moment, they inexplicably felt a sense of trust.
The messenger suddenly remembered something and couldn't help but laugh, "Commander, I heard that on their retreat, the barbarians heard the wind and the cries of migrating cranes and thought they were the neighing of the White Robe Army's horses, and were terrified. When they saw any high ground shaking, they thought Da Gan cavalry had arrived!"
Lu Yi blinked and laughed heartily, "The wind and the cries of cranes, and every bush and tree a soldier, is it?"
The generals roared with laughter.
From then on, Da Gan also had a similar anecdote.
"Deputy Marshal of the Northern Region, our Da Gan's Grand Guardian, Minister of War, Vice Minister of Personnel, General who Pacifies the East, Imperial Son-in-Law, Marquis of An Guo, Liang Xiao, led his troops to crush the barbarians, beheading seventeen thousand! Our army's total casualties were less than five thousand, with countless captured supplies, valued at a minimum of over fifteen million taels of silver!"
When the news reached the capital, the entire populace was shocked and overjoyed. They offered sacrifices to their ancestors and announced the victory!
Xiao Qing, who was holding a court session with his officials, heard the news, and the memorial in his hand slipped onto the table.
"How is it possible to behead so many?!"
The civil and military officials were stunned into silence!
Even General Zuo Liang Qing and General You Luo Chang Feng, military officers who had experienced battle, thought they had misheard and couldn't help but ask again.
The Shadow Guard repeated the contents.
"Did General Tian also manifest? Did General Tian personally speak, saying that his merit belongs to the Yan Prefecture generals led by Liang Xiao??"
The reactions in the hall varied.
The笏板 (ivory tablets used by officials) in the hands of Dugu Qun, He Wanli, Ouyang Ji, and others trembled violently.
That the barbarians could be beheaded by seventeen thousand was simply a fairy tale...
Were they seventeen thousand pigs that couldn't outrun their enemies on horseback?
Wang Canghai and others finally lost their composure, "Your, Your Majesty..."
This group of old ministers barely restrained themselves from bursting into tears on the spot. The Prefect of Jingzhao, Mu Lingming, quickly asked the Shadow Guard, "Mu Hong of the Ministry of Armaments, did he die in battle?"
"The Ministry of Armaments performed exceptionally well in battle and contributed to the defense of the city. He is currently being rewarded and was not injured!"
After the Shadow Guard's reply, Mu Lingming secretly wiped away his tears and almost collapsed to the ground, but Gu Hong and Huang Xing helped him up.
At this moment, Zhang Yang and Gu Shaoyan and other young officials exchanged glances, filled with admiration.
Following the Marquis of An Guo was truly beneficial for that brat Mu Hong...
They estimated that with such casualties, if it wasn't for tactics like fire attacks or flooding, but purely relying on formations and battlefield command, then the role of military equipment must have been paramount.
Then, Mu Hong, who was previously in charge of supervising and rushing out military equipment, and then went to the northern military camps for training, experienced the battle where seventeen thousand were beheaded. What kind of merit should he be awarded?
Xiao Qing regained his senses and tried his best to calm himself, fearing he might lose his imperial demeanor.
"I am extremely pleased!!"
"My beloved ministers and the northern generals have amplified our nation's prestige, allowing Da Gan to stand tall from now on, and letting the world understand: the barbarian cavalry is nothing more than this!"
"I will await the news of the merits from Yan Prefecture, and then personally bestow rewards! I permit all my ministers to raise any objections."
Upon hearing this, Dugu Qun and Ouyang Ji exchanged glances. Just as they were about to advise Xiao Qing on the grounds of the national treasury and the potential danger of excessive merit, they heard Xiao Qing say, "But I only permit your objections to be that the reward is not enough, not that it is too much! Otherwise, if you incur my wrath, you will bear the consequences!"
Hearing this, Dugu Qun and the others, who had intended to advise, could only remain in their seats, holding their trembling笏板, their hearts filled with sorrow, daring not to express it.
Returning to her sleeping chambers, Xiao Qing threw herself into the arms of Ning Xue Jun, who was equally excited, "Oh my dear mother-in-law, he, he, he, how can he be so formidable? I almost fainted just now..."
Ning Xue Jun, like a gratified old mother, smiled and stroked Xiao Qing's dark hair.
She had truly become a lovesick girl now...
The news was spreading across the country at an astonishing speed, about to cause national shock and trigger a craze for joining the army.
After three days and three nights of capture and clearing, Yan Prefecture finally transported all the recoverable supplies and livestock from the barbarians back to Yan Prefecture City.
"Our army returns victorious, accompanying the Marquis of An Guo to inform the people of Yan Prefecture!!"
When the news spread, countless citizens rushed to the northern military camps, wanting to witness firsthand the triumphant return of the Da Gan heroes who had crushed the barbarians.